UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan

Template

Name: Program: SMED ENG Course: Student

Maggie Pomerleau Teaching
Lesson Topic / Title: Conspiracy Theory: Peer Editing

Lesson Date: Lesson Length: 80 minutes Grade/Age: 8th

3/5/20 Grade
Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment​ - ​Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals based on content
standards.

Learning Objective(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

● Students can differentiate between ● Students will be able to use arguing as

evidence-based claims and false claims. a life skill outside of the classroom, so
● Students will know the following terms: hook, it is important that they learn how to
background information, thesis, topic sentence, argue in a controlled and academic
body paragraph, claim, counterclaim, setting.
call-to-action. ● In a world filled with false
● Students can complete a properly formatted news—specifically online—it is
MLA works cited page. important for students to become
● Students can use proper in-text citations to responsible digital citizens.
avoid plagiarism. ● In order to understand the format,
● Students will create evidence based arguments students need to know these terms.
using all the elements of an argumentative ● To avoid plagiarism, students need to
essay, which include, but are not limited to: know how to properly cite their
hook, background information, thesis, claims, sources.
evidence, in-text citations, counterclaim, and a ● In middle school standardized testing
call-to-action or other final sentiment. and in high school, students will need
● Students are able to edit their own work with to know how to use the format of an
the help of a peer or teacher. argumentative essay and use evidence
● Students are able to communicate effectively in their favor.
and help peers improve or complete their ● Communication is essential for
essays. success, so students should have
practice communicating in a low
stakes environment.
 ● Students will use reliable sources when crafting ● Looking back at and editing your own
their essays. work is an important skill to have, so
taking others’ feedback into
consideration will help students build
this skill.

Content Standard(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Writing: Students will be proofreading each other’s

essays and editing their own essays according
5. With some guidance and support from peers and to their peer’s feedback. The peer editing sheet
adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed from allows them to meet writing 5, since they are
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new accepting guidance from their peers. The paper
approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience requires them to use all of the research they
have been addressed. gathered for their outline and write it in a
cohesive essay with proper in-text citations.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and Having in-text citations and using evidence
digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess will hit both writing 8 and 9 targets. Their
the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote counterclaim, and the sources that they use,
or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while will be able to hit reading informational 8. The
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for language target will be hit by requiring the
citation. students to use jargon according to their topic
in their essays. At the beginning of the unit, I
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to created vocabulary lists for each of the four
support analysis, reflection, and research. topics that students would be writing about.
The students will be required to have at least
Reading Informational: three of these in their papers, or to use other
topic specific vocabulary.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific
claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is
sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;
recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Language:

6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general

academic and domain-specific words and phrases;
gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word
or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Assessment​ ​- Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance and
determines best supports for continued learner growth.
Assessment Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Teacher: I will check in regularly with students to check

Conferences their progress and understanding. Many
students have questions about writing their
Formative: essays and citing information correctly, so I
Conferences will be floating around the room to answer
Peer editing sheet them. Students will be sharing their essays
with a peer to get feedback. They will edit their
Peer: essays according to that feedback. If they did
Peer editing sheet not receive helpful comments (or any), then
they need to come and ask me or Mrs.
Summative: Mochamer to read their essay and make
Essay final draft comments.
Instructional Materials and Resources​ ​- Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in
reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner needs.

Materials, Resources, and / or Technology Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

● Laptop The daily agenda will be written on the white

● Laptop charger board, as well as the writing prompt of the day,
● Access to Google Classroom which is chosen from the writing prompt
● Whiteboard & markers bucket. Students need laptops & chargers to
● Writing prompt bucket access Google Classroom, since that is where
● Peer editing sheets they will write and post their writing prompts
● Writing utensils daily. They will also write their essays on
Google Classroom.

Instructional Methods -​ ​Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks by using
a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning accessible to all learners
and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.
Teaching and Learning Sequence Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

● Writing Prompt (13 mins) ● At the beginning of each class, we will

● Explain peer editing sheet & rubric (10 mins) go over the plan for the day. We will
● Work time once finished (55 mins) also complete a writing prompt. Three
○ Peer editing sheet due at the end of students will draw words out of a
class bucket and write them on the board.
● Wrap-up/homework reminder (2 mins) The whole class will complete an
individual writing assignment. This
will only be graded for participation.
The goal is to use all three of the
words in a story. This gets the
students’ creativity going and gets
them settled into class.
● The peer editing sheet is a simple
checklist that allows students to get
peer feedback on their essays. They
will go through the checklist and then
answer a handful of questions on the
back that are designed to generate both
positive feedback and criticisms. When
explaining this, I will go over the
checklist, questions, and the rubric
stapled to the back. This thorough
explanation will show students exactly
what I’m expecting of them on this
assignment.
● Students will have time to work. I
expect the students to finish their peer
editing sheets and start making edits to
their essays in this amount of time.
During their work time, I will be going
around to each of the groups and
having conferences with individuals to
check for understanding and answer
any questions that come up.
● At the end of each class, I will gather
everyone’s attention and sum up the
class in a couple sentences. I remind
students that there will be no more
in-class time to work on assignments
and that the final draft of their essay is
 due before the next class. Since this is
the last lesson of the unit, the next
class will be going over new materials.

Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

modifications, accommodations)
In this class, there are two students on the
Student 1: autism spectrum. Their accommodations are
minimal and the only accommodation that
● The school will affects our class is the need to leave class
1. Allow access to nurse's bathroom whenever the students feel it is necessary.
2. Allow student to call home/go home if Since I allow this for all of my students, there
he feels he needs to are no modifications needed for the
3. Provide social skills group curriculum.
4. Be aware of the need to accommodate
for sensory needs (foods, sound, bugs) A specific extension that I have made for this
class is the use of outlines instead of graphic
organizers. Since this class is slightly more
Student 2:
advanced than the other three classes, I taught
them a new way to plan for their papers, which
● The school will
allows me to challenge them more.
1. Prep student for any transition or
change
2. Provide pre-learning and a positive
behavior plan that he helps design
(including reward)
3. If he needs to leave the classroom for a
break, allow student to visit guidance
counselor or call his mom
4. Provide opportunity for “space” in the
classroom
5. Provide supplemental work or allowed
to read or doodle after all work is
completed

Field Courses Only – Post lesson

Reflection

For the most part, I think this lesson went pretty well. I changed the seating chart specifically for this
lesson. I put students in pairs and tried to pair them up with students who they liked, or who they
worked at the same pace as. There were a couple issues, but not many at all. One thing I definitely
could’ve done better was the worksheet itself. I wanted to be able to count it for two learning targets,
but was only able to actually count it for one. I created the checklist and questions with the organization
LT in mind, but not with the reading informational LT in mind. Therefore, the only directions to hint at
how to meet the second LT were in the rubric. I should’ve known that no one reads the rubric closely
enough to see those. Therefore, no one actually met the requirements for the second learning target, and
I had to exempt all of my students from it in PowerSchool. Another thing I would’ve changed is to
make the peer editing sheet online. I had to run back and forth to the copier all throughout class so I
could have a copy of the sheet, as well as the student who needed to edit their essay according to the
feedback on it. This caused me to be outside of the classroom more than I was in it and helping
students. However, I do still think that the assignment was beneficial to all the students in the end, even
if they did miss getting credit for the second LT.

Standard 3: Learning Environments

The teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative
learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
3(o) ​Values the role of learners in promoting each other’s learning and recognizes the importance of
peer relationships in establishing a climate of learning.

The goal of the peer editing sheet assignment was to get students to collaborate and communicate. Peer
relationships are essential to a positive learning environment. By allowing students to work together
and read each other’s work, I fostered communication between students who otherwise would not have
shared their essays with each other. The assignment promoted collaborative learning practices between
students and spotlighted the importance of working together.